


Cooking and Other Gestures

by fizzypunk



Series: finding equal ground [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, NSFW, PWP, ShikaNeji - Freeform, Smut, creative use of chakra control, gentle palm, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:08:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fizzypunk/pseuds/fizzypunk
Summary: Domestic moments, kisses, dinner -- Neji likes to show his affections in many different ways.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Nara Shikamaru
Series: finding equal ground [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807783
Comments: 9
Kudos: 86





	Cooking and Other Gestures

**Author's Note:**

> okayyyy whew, this one got away from me. it started out with a prompt of jawline kisses... but tbh this is just me trying to give neji the peace and love he deserved, and shikamaru the love and life HE deserves. this is like... porn with plot, if the plot is you love seeing shikaneji in love.
> 
> also i always think of neji as being very domestic as an adult, and i think, as a picky person, he'd be a great cook who cooks for his loved ones :)

“Take the night off tomorrow,” Neji said, voice still attuned to the quiet conversational tone he was using just a minute before. Shikamaru and him were stuck on the tedious but, at least, challenging task of revamping training tactics to be implemented in the next round of genin recruits. 

Shikamaru looked up from his side of the table, the contents of which were spread with the last batches training guides and the new revised ones he was tasked with creating. With Neji’s assistance, of course.

It wasn’t necessary, but Shikamaru couldn’t ever complain about getting more time to spend with Neji. 

“You mean… the whole night?” 

Neji looked up from his papers, red pen in hand that had just marked up an entire chapter’s worth of squad formations. He nodded, tucking his hair back behind his shoulders with his pen. “Yes, the whole night.”

“Neji, I have a meeting with Iruka, and paperwork.”

Neji looked back down, opal eyes focusing back in on his work. “I had the fortune of running into Iruka today, and we talked through the initial changes to the curriculum like he meant to with you tomorrow.”

Shikamaru sighed, a twinge of annoyance dropping like a weight in his stomach. But, just as quickly as it came, he realized that _that_ was simply a task of his incredibly long, incredibly cumbersome list of duties. 

Instead, his shoulders dropped in relaxation, a bemused smile taking shape on his lips. “I wish you told me earlier, but thank you.”

A lot has been tossed on Shikamaru’s shoulders in the past month, from missions to tasks and clerical work, not to mention the assistance he’s been providing Iruka in an influx of new Acadamy students. If it’s not long hours at the desk, then it’s long hours at home with a pile of paper work and a mission that leads off in less than 24 hours.

Every day he is thankful for Neji, and every day Neji continues to show Shikamaru how he values him. 

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Neji said, and Shikamaru knew that he was watching him despite having buried his eyes into his book. “We’ve yet to finish the paper work, and I was hoping you’d be okay to help finish it tonight instead of tomorrow…”

“So I can take the night off.”

Neji paused a moment before humming in affirmation, and Shikamaru knew that whatever he had planned for them tomorrow was something romantic and grandiose -- as grandiose as a Hyuuga can get, at least.

Shikamaru grinned, crossing his arms in front of him and laying his head to rest in the cradle it made. He focused his eyes on the back of Neji’s book, imagining that he was doing a good job at making eye contact through the hardback. “Neji.”

“Yes?”

“Neji.”

Finally, he tilted the book down, enough to peek over and meet Shikamaru’s gaze with a reserved look. 

_I love you_. “Thank you.”

~

They spent an extra hour in the library study, hurriedly completing paperwork and filing it away in record time. Shikamaru was already exhausted, and he had to teach in the morning. It felt nearly impossible to reach the end that always seemed in sight, but always just beyond reach.

Neji knew how to motivate him, though, even when he was at his laziest. “Think about tomorrow, you don’t want to have to do this then, do you?”

Shikamaru found that he didn’t mind working that much if brought him the satisfied, proud smile of the man he was in love with.

~

Shikamaru could say that he definitely didn’t want to work the Academy that morning -- his stomach ached with an emptiness he hadn’t felt in ages, and he woke too late to properly eat a meal. He was tired, and sore, and wanted nothing more than to take a nap. 

But the good part of it all that made him not regret the late night, or the extra work of yesterday, was the satisfaction of knowing that in just five minutes, he’d be off, out, and on his way home.

_That_ was worth any number of yawns and cups of coffee. The bonus side of teaching Academy students was knowing that there would be no staying late with students eager to leave, and that the turn of the hour hand on the clock was more than enough to empty his class room.

3 pm came, and by 3:04 he was out and on his way back to his apartment.

_His_ apartment.

That was the weird thing about growing up -- he didn’t ever think of having his own space, or his own privacy, or his own choice of skipping laundry day in order to catch up on much-needed rest. But he had it, and it was better than he imagined as a kid. When he said he was headed home, what he always meant was that he was headed to _his_ home, and he’d never admit to the elation of knowing that Neji was a part of that.

Not officially, and not in a public way -- the leash of the Hyuuga had changed in the past years, but the leash that was still there, still required that he live at the Hyuuga estate. It was unfortunate, but they could live with it since Neji spent most of his time at Shikamaru’s regardless.

It sucked on the nights he couldn’t stay, but the mercy that he got to stay at all was more than enough. For now.

Shikamaru smiled on his walk home, knowing that his life had changed far more than he thought it would, and for once, it was for the better.

The sun wasn’t even setting, and he was headed home, headed to _Neji_. Life had it’s little blessings after all.

~

When Shikamaru slid his door open and kicked off his sandals in the hallway, he already knew what Neji had in mind.

Maybe he didn’t know _all_ of it, but the smell of cooking meats and the sound of simmering drifting down the long hallway was a pretty big indicator of the night they were going to have. Shikamaru always _did_ complain about eating out too much, and missing food that wasn’t Ichiraku or fast-food.

His smile was big and it felt goofy, but that wasn’t something he minded. When he came around the corner and into the light of his tiny kitchen, he was flooded with warmth and familiarity and _home._

Neji was there, and of course he _knew_ Shikamaru was there, because he always knew where he was. He glanced at Shikamaru, beaming at him while he stirred the contents of a large pot on the stove.

“I’m not nearly done,” he said, eyes turning back to whatever it was he had in the pot.

His profile was to Shikamaru, hair pulled up into a loose bun and donning a plain black shirt that he often used when cooking. He wore a pair of loose, gray sweatpants, and no where was a hitai-ate to be seen.

Even now, Shikamaru feels weak at the knees looking at him. And something in particular about _right now_ had him blushing. He looked down to the horizontal wood of the floor. “This is a lot of food. Can I help?”

Neji tucked a laugh back into his throat, but Shikamaru still heard it. “You don’t.”

Shikamaru took to the small table for two across from the stove and sat his bag down. He walked up behind Neji and wrapped his hands under his arms, tucking his chin over his right shoulder. “Why not?”

From this angle, Shikamaru could see that he was making a stew. There were scallops, salmon, and pot stickers, all in different states of readiness.

“Because I asked.”

“But I want to.”

Neji turned his head, pressing a kiss to Shikamaru’s cheek. “Please?” He whispered, drawing out a shiver from Shikamaru as his voice ghosted over his skin. “My plans involve you not helping.”

Shikamaru didn’t say anything about his heart beating twice as fast or the way his chest seemed to blossom with warmth and affection, so he just hummed. 

“What else do they involve?” He asked, matching low, quiet voices in hopes of inspiring the same reaction in Neji. 

Neji closes his eyes at the feeling of Shikamaru’s breath on his neck. “You’ll find out, but not if you help.”

Shikamaru shook his head, sighing but not really disappointed -- Neji’s mind is as set as a river, and Shikamaru knew that redirecting it was impossible. He pressed a kiss to Neji’s neck instead, lingering longer than he needs to because that’s the only way he could get even. “Fine. I’ll be back…” 

Neji did not bend, nor sway to the deepening kiss. “Go sleep.”

“Mmm… maybe…”

He’d be out in a second if he laid in bed. 

Another kiss, and Neji shivered, yet it did not reach his voice. “I’ll wake you when food’s ready.”

_Stubborn…_ _but who am I to argue?_

Shikamaru ceded defeat with one last kiss, and went up stairs to take a shower before falling unconscious on his bed.

~

Neji did wake him, and when Shikamaru was finally resurrected, it was 6 and the light from outside was all but a snuffed out ember. He almost felt bad, but Neji insisted and smiled and insisted it was okay. Again the thought came to mind, _who am I to argue_?

Neji often knows what's best, so Shikamaru tends to trust him without too much of a complaint.

Shikamaru’s ponytail was still damp when Neji brought them down the dark tunnel of stairs and into their little sitting area. Shikamaru’s house was small, but it was the perfect amount of space for one who at most needed only a place for a bed and a bookshelf, and a boyfriend who needed a kitchen and books. The space was a perfect fit for them, and the odd shelves or corners or open tiles on the floor were decorated with plants and a handful of pictures. It resonated like home in a way Shikamaru still ached for when he was away.

Their sitting area had a table that normally had a shogi mat, which was now removed for a clattering of matching white bowls and plates filled with Neji’s food craftsmanship. Pork, dumplings, stew, an assortment of stir-fried veggies, and a couple of beers set off to the side of the table.

There was a candle too, and the window to the courtyard was open to the moonlight and clear sky.

Shikamaru stalled in the hallway, one foot in the kitchen and the other hanging just over the threshold between the two rooms.

He felt Neji’s eyes on him, and though he’s done it before, he still feels self-conscious when his emotions become a bit too strong, and start to well in his eyes.

As such, he feels them mist, and he takes the steps into the low-lit space while rubbing his eyes. Like he wasn’t about to sink to his knees and show Neji how much he loves him.

“I’m…”

_You’re incredible._

“I know it’s just dinner, but…”

Neji stood just behind him, watching him react and sounding suddenly very small, awaiting the verdict. Shikamaru turned to face him, and he could bask in the way Neji nervously waited to see if it was _enough_.

The way he’s always waiting, even if he doesn’t say it -- and Shikamaru is always able and willing and there to tell him that it’s enough; that he’s there to tell him _he’s_ enough.

He smiled and wrapped his hand’s around Neji’s shoulders, laying them to cross behind his head as he pressed a kiss to his lips. “You could have napped with me and it would have been enough, you know?”

“But then you’d be hungry.”

“But well rested.”

“But _hungry_.”

Shikamaru snorted, because he was right. “Hey, I can’t help that I prioritize sleep over food.”

“That’s why _I_ make food.”

Shikamaru smiled, and he was about to say something, but then Neji trailed his left hand up Shikamaru’s neck and into his hair. Neji laced his finger under the band holding Shikamaru’s hair in place, and tugged it gently from him so that his damp, uncombed hair could fall down his neck.

Shikamaru looked down as Neji’s fingers massaged his head, while loosely combing his hair into place. 

“Come on, before everything cools.”

Shikamaru fought the flush on his cheeks and the smug smile Neji gave him and the fact that he could make him feel instantly vulnerable and seen with a simple act. He nodded, and let Neji have his moment before they sat down to eat.

Shikamaru wasn’t blind to Neji’s motives, and he knew that behind it all: it wasn’t only the way Neji showed his love, but also his way of trying to comfort Shikamaru when words failed. Shikamaru’s new responsibilities took new tolls, and led to more uncertainty as the days of mission turned into weeks of being stretched as thin as their crippled shinobi forces could possibly get. Neji in no way was immune to the politics and necessary actions to keep Konoha safe, and not being able to see each other took a toll neither of them liked to talk about.

Nights like this were rare -- they hadn’t done more than collapse in bed in a restless sleep in months, and when it came to meals…?

To dates?

Never.

They didn’t talk much, as it turned out Shikamaru was _starving_. He was almost embarrassed at how fast he ate, but not enough since Neji was just watching him with tenderness that would have been embarrassing if he didn’t do the exact same thing to Neji.

Once they finished their meals, Shikamaru sighed, content. Neji insisted he would clean, so he let him and laid back on the floor.

“Love you. Let me help clean.”

“I love you, and _no._ ”

Shikamaru grinned, then groaned as he got up from the floor. Neji had put their plates in the kitchen and was returning for more, but was intercepted before he could do anymore. “Neji, I appreciate what you’re doing --”

“I’m going to see you take on more than you should for the rest of my life -- tonight, let me do what I can, even if it’s just dishes.... Okay?”

And Shikamaru couldn’t speak to that, and Neji looked too serious for him to try. Neji brought his hands up to Shikamaru’s face, caressing him gently. “And I want to do what I can, while I’m here, and while you’re here…” 

Shikamaru fell quiet, with Neji’s hands like a spell of silence that fell across him. 

And Neji, with his eyes that nearly glowed, caught in the candle light, stared deep into him. “I’ve missed you for so much… for so long,” followed by a kiss, hovering lips parted in wait. “I’ve come home so many times, just to see you off…”

Neji was crying, and kissing him softly. 

“Damn it… _Neji_ ,” because suddenly he was not enough, not really, because what they got would never be enough time to express _this_.

Neji swallowed up Shikamaru in his next kiss, turning the two of them around to press Shikamaru into the wall. He pulled in every breath and Shikamaru constantly ends up thinking, again, _who am I to argue?_

“Neji… I always miss you...”

“You keep going…” And then Neji dropped one hand, letting his fingers trace his jaw.

“So do you…”

“I fucking hate it,” before the tears streaked onto their lips, salt and longing mingling into one bittersweet taste.

Neji started to press longer, deeper kisses, down his chin, taking to his jaw in a way Shikamaru knew was going to leave marks. And Shikamaru couldn’t keep the startling moan surfacing within him when Neji started sucking just below his ear. 

“ _Gods…”_

Neji moved to his pulse point, hands now slipping between the folded part of his shirt to unravel it. “I’ll make you come…”

“Fuck...”

This turned so fast, so immediately, Shikamaru couldn’t figure out what to focus on or what to address or if he even should right now, because Neji’s hands kept unraveling him faster than he could put himself back together. Any leverage he has was quickly discarded in the press of lips, or press of bodies that kept him flush against the wall.

Neji’s lips were still circling Shikamaru’s jaw, laying down kisses that traded off between quick and deep, fast and tortuously slow. All the while his hands traced fingers over his abdomen now that his shirt was now parted at the rope that held it together, revealing a chest littered in small, slashing scars, old and new.

Heat pooled under the hands now dancing over his skin; Shikamaru couldn’t stop the embarrassing, aching whimper that escaped his lips, or the way it filled the quiet room laden breathing and lust.

Neji grinned into his neck, heat building up in his fingertips as they lingered at his naval. “Let me love you…”

One hand slipped into Shikamaru’s pants, by-passing the rope belt and urging them further down his hips. They gave way gently, wet kisses pressing heatedly into the soft skin of his throat.

“ _Gods…_ you can do anything… to me.”

Neji snickered, and it sounded so deep and filled with intimate knowledge -- because of course he knew he could do anything to him; he _has_ done anything and everything to him, and Shikamaru fell apart for it all. He begged for it all.

Neji’s right hand stalled in the patch of hair just above Shikamaru’s dick, and he pulled back from his neck to be level their eyes, onyx to iridescent white.

The tears were still there, but they were focused with an energy Shikamaru missed seeing, a deep, dark look like _desire_ distilled into pinpoint.

He didn’t say anything, he just wrapped his fingers around Shikamaru, channelling chakra in the tips of his fingers and forcing an almost-scream up Shikamaru’s throat.

_“Mmmff--”_ He dipped his head into Neji’s shoulder, hands bunching in the fabric of his shirt, quelling the needy moans threatening to spill over.

Neji squeezed, slowly dragging his fist down to meet the base. The steady heat, the rhythmic pulsing of energy, was like having nerves touch from the inside out -- Shikamaru held his breath, because any little movement was like fireworks with no explosion, like aches that roll into shuddering frustration.

This was _not_ the gentle palm he saw in the battlefield. Every time he encountered it, it was almost impossible to --

His knees started to shake, a brisk tremor rising throughout his body like a flood.

Neji’s freehand threaded through Shikamaru’s hair and knotted at the nape of his neck, giving a gentle, demanding tug to bring them back to the same level, eye to eye. The energy in his groping palm rose, too, a new frequency wrapping around Shikamaru with not a single centimeter of movement to be spared. Just energy, just chakra, just _waiting._

“You like this, hm?”

Shikamaru’s breath was _caught_ \-- like a physical block, like it would be impossible to speak or breathe or do anything that was beyond the movement of his head, and so he nodded quickly and messily _yes yes yes_ against the tension that held his head in place.

The grip in his hair relaxed, Neji’s thumb rubbing calming circles into his scalp. “You’re going to listen to me?”

Another nod, but Neji’s grin in response came fast, impish, expectant. “With your words,” he whispered, and the pulse in his grip around Shikamaru’s dick grew stronger.

“ _G-ods_ ,” his voice was wet, just like his eyes. “Yes -- I will.”

Neji hummed, and his grip loosened just a touch - just enough to drag his fist up the curve of Shikamaru’s dick in the slowest possible way he could.

“ _Neji… I’m --_ ” his knees started to shake _too_ much, too alarmingly; his grip on Neji’s shirt was knuckle-white. “-- _gonna…”_

“Already?” He dragged his thumb over the head, a slow draw up and down and back again. 

_“I’m…”_

Another slow stroke, and Shikamaru’s stomach tightened with familiar _heat --_

_“I… can’t…”_

His eyes squeezed shut, eyelashes wet against his pink cheeks.

“ _Neji…”_

Neji’s fingers weren’t even tight, it was such a loose stroke, fueled by the chakra in his fingertips like lighting through a rod. The hand he used to cradle Shikamaru’s head dropped down to his neck, allowing him to cave into the feeling of Neji’s body -- allowing him to all but fall, to collapse with his body that was no longer able to stay up --

“Not yet,” he breathed onto Shikamaru’s neck.

_Gods, please..._

His hand was slow, methodical -- Shikamaru knew every shudder could be felt, that every single breath was being memorized, and that Neji had no intention of letting it end just yet. The chakra was as overpowering and shocking as it was under the control of Neji, and no matter how close he felt to spilling, it was channeled into his grip so that it was impossible.

Every stroke, on the edge, and he was withheld from that edge by a thread -- even when he thrusted back, tried to gain more friction than he’d ever be allowed to get.

“ _Please, Neji… ple--”_

And a strangled sound slipped past his lips, Neji’s hand speeding but his chakra control absolute.

“Stay with me,” in his ear, deep, and it sounded as wrecked as he was, as hungry as he was. “Stay with me if you want to come.”

_How long_ and _don’t stop_ and _this can’t end_ \-- Shikamaru was sure that this was going to be the time that he wouldn’t be able to recover, that he might be so blind sighted and overwhelmed that he might never be able to come back, to wake to--

“ _Hey_ ,” Neji whispered, because Shikamaru wasn’t saying anything, wasn’t speaking, wasn’t doing anything but let out sounds of pleasure, be it moaning or sobbing. He separated them by a tiny bit, making sure to keep Shikamaru’s weight on him but enough to catch his eye, to make that connection that somehow seemed to be more intimate than the hand on his dick.

“Are you still doing okay?” He whispered, and he didn’t stop his ministrations, but he slowed them enough -- just _enough_. 

Shikamaru nodded and let his breath come back to him, the way he was holding it in anticipation of _something_ \-- “ _I’m good_ ,”

Neji raised his eyebrow, and Shikamaru nodded. “ _I’m sure_.”

And that was enough for Neji, smiling into a soft kiss that Shikamaru immediately sunk back into. He stroked Shikamaru with a growing pace, and the chakra restraints began dropping -- slowly, painfully slowly, making Shikamaru whine with the looming feeling of _finally_ being allowed --

Then they fell, and the chakra left in Neji’s palms was just _electric_ , and intimate, and so deep that it felt penetrating the way only Neji has been able -- allowed -- to penetrate. 

_Oh god._

“Come on,” Neji urged, stepping into his space until he there was so little between them, the air seemed thin and hot and muddled. His hand worked so much faster now, so much more demanding -- “ _Come on_ , come for me.”

Shikamaru’s hands trembled in his grip, their shared breath filled with _nejinejinejieneji ---_

He couldn’t have said no if he tried, if he wanted to, and it was within seconds that he was spilling in Neji’s hand, his whole body was giving way to the climax that overtook him like a tsunami overtakes the shore. It was in the hand that grasped him, on his stomach, on the clothes Neji had just washed, and it was still coming.

_Gods, how?_

His nerves were numb across his body, and his knuckles were bled of color.

_How?_

His hair tangled against Neji’s as his head rested in the crook of his shoulder.

_I love you so much_.

Neji had already pulled the last of his orgasm out and had wiped his hand on his pants. His left arm was wrapped around Shikamaru’s shoulders, and the now clean one ran gentle paths up and down his spine. Tracing, ghosting, bringing life back to the nerves that were slowly starting to work again.

“Are you okay?” He asked after a moment of peaceful, blissful silence. 

Shikamaru nodded, not sure if his voice was there just yet.

Neji wasn’t satisfied, and he separated them, having Shikamaru shoulder his own weight, on the knees that he was certain just a moment ago might finally give.

Neji’s eyes could see a lot -- and they searched his teary ones for a long moment. His smile was sad, bitter. He looked an odd combination of conflicted and satisfied -- hungry, and doleful.

“Did I over do it?” He asked, thumbs coming up to wipe away the slickness under Shikamaru’s eyes.

Though he felt like every drop of energy was drained from him, and that he might need to sleep for several days to recover, Shikamaru smiled because _no--_ he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

He grabbed one of the delicate hands that still chased tears and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I want you to do _that_ every single night.”

Another kiss when Neji’s lips turned up into a bashful smile.

“I don’t think I’ve… _comethathardbefore,”_ he said quickly; it’s not easy to talk about it after the fact, not with come still drying on his stomach and the echoes of the things he moaned in the midst of it all still fresh in memory.

Neji perked at that, and once again the confidence he always exuded was back. “I’ll remember that.”

Shikamaru’s body was returning to one-hundred-precent and as such, with his legs that no longer threatened to fall out from beneath him, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Neji -- loving, soft, the type that feels like sinking into linens. His hands went to Neji’s waist, delicately placed above his pelvic bones as they peaked out from under his shirt. His grip grew tight, their kiss deepening.

“I love you,” he whispered. He’d never be able to say it enough.

_My love._

“I love you,” came the echo, and it was always true because it was Neji.

Shikamaru kissed his cheek, his left-hand starting its descent down his abs --

Neji caught it with his right hand, humming warmly. “Not yet.”

“... really?”

Neji’s laugh came quickly. “Go up stairs, let me finish cleaning.”

Shikamaru couldn’t help rolling his eyes, or pursing his lips, or reluctantly agreeing since he didn’t have the energy to argue. “Gods have mercy on you.”

“They already have,” and with that and a kiss, returned to cleaning up the living room.

Shikamaru shuffled upstairs in his underwear, praying that he didn’t fall asleep as he waited for Neji.

~

He fell asleep, and when he woke the clock read 1am. Neji’s strong arms were wrapped around him from behind.

He groaned.

Neji stirred.

~

_“It’s okay,”_ Neji affirmed. It’s 4am, and they’re both between sleep and wakefulness.

_“Let me,”_ Shikamaru asked, voice slurring across the pillow they both shared.

“ _I’m sleepy,_ ” 

_“Let me do the work_ ,” and Shikamaru reached to palm Neji.

_“It’s… for you.”_

_“Hm?”_

“ _T’night was… for you…”_

Neji was hard under his hand. He shifted, a soft, needy sigh escaping his lips.

Half asleep, with a lazy smirk, Shikamaru stroked him off, and he came after mere moments, with Shikamaru’s name in his mouth like a prayer.

**Author's Note:**

> i think it's funny that my last fic also had neji cooking for shikamaru haha! i am going to mix it up for the next one :) thank you for reading and lemme know if u liked it! find me on tumblr as [fizzypunk](https://fizzypunk.tumblr.com/) :D


End file.
